Kenneth Atchity's Blog, page 30
July 28, 2023
‘I like human risk’: ‘Meg 2’ director embraces vulnerability, diversity
Risk means more to the vulnerable.
For seasoned director Ben Wheatley, this is what makes directing the sequel to the 2018 hit “The Meg” more appealing.
“There’s something about the superhero genre where, much as I enjoy it, as it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, there’s problems with the way they’re just invulnerable,” he said. “That lessens the tension. I like human risk. That side of it is interesting to me.”
Wheatley is best known for “quiet horrors” like “Kill List” (2011) and “Rebecca” (2020) rather than action-filled thrillers like “Meg 2: The Trench.”
The “realism” of diversity is part of what made Wheatley gravitate toward the film.
“Our cast is based around the realism found in the world of science,” the filmmaker said.
“Usually, an oceanic research group would be pulling the best people from all over the globe, with a mix of people from everywhere,” he added.
According to its synopsis, “Meg 2” is about a research team on an exploratory dive into the depths of the ocean. Their voyage spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival. Pitted against colossal, prehistoric sharks and relentless environmental plunderers, they must outrun, outsmart and outswim their merciless predators.
The film stars Jason Statham and Wu Jing, together with an ensemble cast including Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Skyler Samuels and Cliff Curtis.
“Meg 2: The Trench” will arrive in Philippine cinemas on August 2. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company.
July 27, 2023
Meg 2: The Trench Director Ben Wheatley Wanted Every Dollar Of The Budget On Screen
Can we all just take a step back and appreciate how truly bonkers it is that Ben Wheatley made a sequel to "The Meg?"
Ben "Kill List" Wheatley? Ben "High-Rise" Wheatley? It's one of the most fascinating leaps from the realm of weird indie movies to studio filmmaking we've seen in recent memory. I like a good bit of escapism as much as the next guy, but I still did a double take when the dude who was known for making pitch-black movies seemingly built to avoid being traditional crowd-pleasers signed on to make the next Jason-Statham-Punching-Prehistoric-Sharks movie.
So, while it was a surprise to me that this was the big-budget franchise he jumped to, what I'm not surprised about is the word that not only is Wheatley embracing the absurdity of this franchise, he's doing so by taking the filmmaking part of it very seriously. In the recent issue of Total Film, Wheatley reveals that he was very eager to avoid a common big-budget pitfall by spending the downtime forced upon him by Covid to plan his sequel to the Nth degree.
Indecision is a problem in the big-budget realm and the core reason why we keep seeing these big franchises waffle so much film to film. Wheatley saying that he storyboarded every inch of "Meg 2: The Trench" is actually refreshing to hear. He wanted to make sure he had all the kinks worked out in advance and felt like he could put every penny of the film's substantial budget (the first film was a surprise hit, pulling in over half a billion dollars at the box office against a declared budget of $130 million) on the screen.
Read more: Slash Film
July 26, 2023
‘Meg 2: The Trench’ – Beautiful Chinese Poster Brings a Whole Different Vibe to Shark Attack Cinema
The Meg was a big hit internationally back in 2018, swimming its way to $384 million at the international box office. In comparison, the film’s domestic total was just $145 million.
Upcoming sequel Meg 2: The Trench is looking to have the same success internationally, and today a gorgeous new poster has been unleashed for the big screen follow-up.
This one promotes the release of the film in China, where The Meg performed particularly well back in 2018. And it’s unlike any movie poster you’ll ever see here in the States.
Check out the New Chinese poster and see The Meg 2 in theaters on August 4, 2023.
Rea more at Bloody Disgusting
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July 24, 2023
FREE JULY 24 - JULY 28! Stressed in the U.S. by Dr. Meg Van Deusen
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It seems like the American public is more “stressed out” than at any time in recent memory. But why? Is this seemingly sudden increase in stress due to current events in our world? Is technology to blame? Perhaps financial strain or increased pressures at work? Or is it all simply a coincidence?
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July 21, 2023
Fresh Horrors Lurk Beneath the Surface in New 'The Meg 2: The Trench' Poster
The ocean is ready to deliver new threats to the surface, as Warner Bros. has released a new poster for The Meg 2: The Trench. Jason Statham has returned for the sequel, starring as the former rescue diver who now spends his time fighting against evil monsters from the bottom of the ocean. The new poster does a good job of illustrating just how bad the situation will be for the characters this time around, with a couple of new mysteries surrounding the appearance of the prehistoric sharks. Multiple megalodons weren't bad enough, so The Trench will ensure viewers have fun at the expense of what could happen to the humans of the movie.
Set some time after the catastrophic events of the first movie, Jonas Taylor (Statham) is leading an exploration team at the bottom of the ocean. A mining operation with questionable purposes complicates things for the team, leaving them in a situation where they have to look for survival against giant sea creatures.
While the first installment placed the team in a fight against a couple of giant sharks, the sequel will establish that more megalodons than previously thought are actually roaming around in waters near the coast, setting the stage for an epic confrontation between scientists and sharks that are bigger than a train.
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The trailer and posters that have been released as a part of the sequel's marketing campaign have pointed to the fact that Megalodons might not be the only enemy Jonas has to face in his comeback. Giant tentacles have been spotted in the promotional material for The Meg 2: The Trench. After the small role giant squids had in the previous installment, could they be back in a more aggressive form this time? Audiences are only a couple of weeks away from figuring it out, as the release date for the movie swims towards the shore.
You can check out the new poster for The Meg 2: The Trench below, before the move splashes into theaters on August 4:
[image error]Image via Warner Bros.
via Collider
July 19, 2023
Ben Wheatley is really hoping he'll get to make a Meg 3
The Meg 2 director Ben Wheatley says "there's a lot more to explore" in shark-centered The Meg series
(Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)Meg 2: The Trench hasn't been released yet, but that hasn't stopped director Ben Wheatley from imagining what a third installment in the shark-centered series would look like. That said, though, he's keen not to jinx the second chapter before it's had a chance to make a splash in cinemas...
"You don't want to talk about it until Meg 2 is out," Wheatley jokes in the new issue of Total Film magazine, which is out on newsstands on Thursday, July 20, when asked about the possibility of The Meg 3. "But I hope so. There's a lot more to explore in that world. It's very rich. The international-ness of it is very interesting.
"What's so smart about the first film is that it's not Rush Hour. It's not East-meets-West, 'Oh, we're all confused about each other,'" Wheatley, who took over directing duties from the original's helmer Jon Turteltaub, continued. "It's just people working together, and being in an everyday adventure, and the people just happen to come from places all over the world. I think that's good for audiences, and it's a good message as well."
Taking inspiration from Steve Alten's 1999 novel, Meg 2: The Trench sees Jason Statham's Jonas Taylor put together a team for an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean, and investigate some strange goings-on down there. During the mission, they discover that a bunch of prehistoric megalodons, even bigger than the ones seen in the previous movie, is lurking well beneath the surface... and judging by the official trailer, some other huge creatures, too.
It will be released on August 4. Cliff Curtis, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Sienna Guillory, and Skyler Samuels round out the supporting cast.
This is just a snippet of our interview in the new issue of Total Film magazine. Subscribe for more.
July 17, 2023
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July 5, 2023
Meg 2: The Trench – Everything know about the giant shark and its return to the silver screen
Megalodons, dinosaurs and giant octopuses, oh my! The sequel to 2018’s surprise hit The Meg emerges from the oceanic depths this summer, and it’s coming with a handful of surprises, including not one, not two, but three ginormous megalodons wreaking havoc! In order to get you prepared for this exciting deep dive immersion, we’ve put together this article on everything we know about Meg 2: The Trench so far.
Much like its predecessor, Meg 2: The Trench is loosely based on Steven Alten’s Meg novels, the first of which released in 1997 under the title Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror. The new movie borrows its subtitle from The Trench: Meg 2 (1999), but some elements from that book were already used in the first instalment, so it’ll be interesting to see how many bits and pieces from the second novel have been kept around.
Before we go for a swim, you might be interested in checking out our selection of the best giant monster movies you can watch right now. Of course, with summer almost here and giant shark fins on the horizon, with Shark Week 2023 coming in mid-July. There’s also never been a better time to rewatch all the Jaws movies; our Jaws streaming guide has you covered there.
Some international territories, such as Belgium and Germany, are getting it a bit earlier, but the summary is that you’ll want to go to the nearest cinema during the first week of August.
We've not had any word about where Meg 2: The Trench will be available to stream once it's theatrical run finishes, but we'll update this page as soon as we do hear something.
WHAT IS THE PLOT OF MEG 2: THE TRENCH?
As mentioned above, Meg 2: The Trench borrows some elements (and the subtitle) from the second of Steve Alten’s novels, but it appears the overall plot goes in a different direction. For example, there’s no megalodon offspring held in captivity for crowds from all over the world to see. That idea could be recovered for a third movie though.
The actual synopsis has Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) leading “a daring research team on an exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean.” Things seemingly go fine until “a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission.” Of course, it all leads to colossal Megs and other creatures from the Trench making it to the surface and eating lots of people.
The titular trench is likely made up, but there are super deep sea trenches in real life, the most famous and deepest of which is the Mariana trench in the Pacific Ocean.
WHO IS WORKING ON MEG 2: THE TRENCH
Jason Statham (Fast X) and Wu Jing (The Wandering Earth) headline an ensemble cast that includes The Meg veterans Sophia Cai, Page Kennedy, and Cliff Curtis, alongside Sergio Peris-Mencheta (Rambo: Last Blood), Skyler Samuels (The Gifted), and Sienna Guillory (High-Rise).
Meg 2: The Trench is directed by Ben Wheatley (In the Earth, Free Fire), from a screenplay by Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber (The Meg, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) and Dean Georgaris (The Meg, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life). The story they adapted is loosely based on the novel The Trench: Meg 2 by Steve Alten.
The director of photography is Haris Zambarloukous (Belfast, Murder on the Orient Express). Production design was led by Chris Lowe (The Gray Man, No Time to Die). Jonathan Amos (Baby Driver, Paddington 2) is handling the editing. The original soundtrack comes from Harry Gregson-Williams once again.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE MEGALODON?
Not a whole lot, actually. Despite some well-preserved sets of teeth and vertebrae, nobody has a clue about Otodus megalodon’s proportions and body shape. Based on its fearsome teeth, we can easily infer it was one of the largest and most powerful predators to have ever lived.
The Megalodon lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago, though some experts claim the species had a “shorter” presence on the planet. Its temporal range spans from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene epochs. Originally, it was considered a member of the Lamnidae family, making it a close relative of the great white shark. Now, it’s classified into the extinct Otodontidae family, which diverged from the great white’s ancestors during the Early Cretaceous.
While scientists differ on its appearance and maximum size, recent estimates fall around 65 feet (20 meters) of max. length. Looking at the vertebral centra, and using the great white’s dimensions as reference, a megalodon of about 52 feet (16 m) long could weigh up to 53 tons (48 metric tons). Still, all this data is up for debate due to the fragmentary nature of the species’ remains.
The fossil record indicates the megalodon had a cosmopolitan distribution. It probably targeted large prey such as whales and sea turtles, but it still faced competition from whale-eating cetaceans like the Livyatan. The species’ decline and eventual extinction coincides with the oceanic cooling related to the ice ages and a gigantism trend in baleen whales.
No, the megalodon did not coexist with dinosaurs. Its earliest presence would’ve been around the Early Miocene, 23 million years ago. Dinosaurs had been extinct for more than 40 million years before that point. This doesn’t make a Meg chomping on a Tyrannosaurus in Meg 2: The Trench’s first trailer any less cool though.
We know, however, of many giant shark species that were present in the Cretaceous period, such as those of the Ptychodus and Leptostyrax genera. Those sharks were larger on average than the modern great white shark, and the former probably were a major threat to unsuspecting dinosaurs and flying reptiles.
IS THE MEGALODON ACTUALLY EXTINCT?
Yes, the Otodus megalodon went extinct around 3.6 million years ago. While the idea of gigantic sharks surviving in the blackest depths, maybe thanks to warm water heated up by underwater volcanic eruptions, might not sound too far-fetched, it actually is.
The megalodon and other giant aquatic predators needed to hunt whales and large prey only present near the surface, so humans would’ve noticed them already. For this very same reason, even deep sea predators like giant squids haven’t been able to hide forever.
July 3, 2023
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